Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Cooking
and culinary classes are all the rage in Paris these days. But for
serious chefs, Paris has been the ultimate kitchen for centuries.

Did
you know that Sally Hemings' brother, James, trained and became chef de
cuisine in Paris? He was part of Thomas Jefferson's entourage and
his fine culinary skills guaranteed that when diplomat Jefferson
returned to Monticello, the family would continue eating in the style
they had become accustomed to à
la française.

I'd
like to introduce you another African-American chef who is putting
his Cordon Bleu training to delicious use.

Credit: Tom Reeves

I
met Michael D. Poole in 2008 in Paris. He was sharing out a box of
chocolates. Not just your run-of-the-mill gourmet delectables. These
were imprinted with colorful, fantastic designs as I'd never seen.
Based in Seattle, today Michael continues to make his annual trip to
the City of Lights to perfect his creative repertoire. This year's goal was to work on the
French macaron.

What
sparked your interest in becoming a chef?

Becoming
a cook at the firehouse was the beginning of my passion for cooking.
I was 21 years old and it was early in my fire department career. I
started off as the firehouse cook. I was assigned to a busy downtown
fire station in Seattle. I was cooking for twelve hungry firefighters
who liked good food and lots of it. During that time I became very
passionate about my food and cooking.

Was
there a turning point or key event that propelled you to undertake
this professionally?

I
started a food concession business, selling Jamaican cuisine at
street fairs and festivals in Seattle and California. I catered
lunches for fashion photo shoots which deepened my desire to one day
attend a culinary school. On the photo shoots, the crew — the
models, photographers, and art directors — would eat out at fine
restaurants all the time.

They were always talking about food, where
they were going for dinner, restaurants they had already visited, and
how the food compared at the various places they had dined.
Therefore, I wanted my food not only to be delicious, but also to be
as memorable as some of the dishes that they had at the fine
restaurants where they dined.

What
role does Paris play in your career?

Paris
has been a big part of my life and who I am as a chef! Every year I
go to Paris, I learn something new, and improve on my culinary
skills.

How
many times have you been to Paris or France on 'chef business'?

I have
been going to Paris for the last thirteen years 

What did you gain from each trip?

Between
2000-2003, I attended Le Cordon Bleu, taking one class every
year. I
originally went for Cuisine,
cooking for my catering. While there, I discovered I had an interest
in pastry. Once I went back the second year I learnedhow
tomake chocolates.
(When I added) those to my catering, people were amazed and
persistently told me I needed to box them and sell them.

I graduated in 2003 with le grand diplome for cuisine
and pastry. I was also class valedictorian.

I
would bring back one or two really good recipes to add to my catering
repertoire. Over the years, I have accumulated a nice French recipe
book.

Credit: Sally Blake

Any
downsides?

Let
me think about this. Coming to Paris every
year and do something I love…. NO!

What's
the most surprising thing you've learned?

I found
my passion. My passion for making Chocolates.

What
was the goal of this trip? Any a-ha moments?

The
goal of this trip was to work on my French Macaron. My goal is to
make Seattle’s best macarons!! The a-ha moment was when I learned
that I needed to change my techniques for macaroons!

Can
your fans expect any changes or new in what you'll be offering?

I
will be working on a few new chocolate flavors. This will be my Paris
2013 inspired chocolates, as well as developing new flavors for my
macaroons.

Where
and how can people sample your creations?

I
have an online store. Six retail outlets in Seattle carry my chocolates.

About Me

I began following the footsteps of black ghosts in Paris in 1994
after studying with the late Sorbonne Professor Michel Fabre. Then I
created a series of walking and now bus tours - Walking The Spirit
Tours. It's been my pleasure to share my passion for Black history and
Paris with visitors and locals of all backgrounds all these years. This blogLletter is a means to keep that dialogue going. Enjoy!